


The Prince & The Pauper & Dogs

by Viioll



Category: Loki: Where Mischief Lies, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Additional Characters, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotions are figured out, Extremely Ridiculous Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Genderfluid Loki (Marvel), M/M, Post-Where Mischief Lies, Starring a supporting cast of ocs both named and unnamed, Theo Gets A Dog Because I Said So, Trans Male Character, Unresolved Plot Points Get Resolved
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-11-02 12:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20751269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viioll/pseuds/Viioll
Summary: Loki is moping around on Asgard two years after the living-dead investigation on Midgard, stuck doing pointless and menial tasks while his brother continues to collect accolades from their father. One painfully dull day, he receives a strange call. Strange, because it comes from a washbasin. Hijinks and shenanigans ensue. Loki finally gets to see what's so great about "Dogs", among other things on Earth.EDIT: This story was initially going to be organized as a linear progression, but I have decided that it would be better as a collection of loosely connected one-shots. So, any chapter can be read by itself, or they can be read in order, and it should be cohesive. Thank you for reading!





	1. "Why are you in a washbasin?"

Another day, another menial, pointless task. That’s how it had been ever since the whole _“being banished to Midgard, finding Amora, killing Amora and stealing Amora's train of the dead and riding it across the Bifrost into Asgard”_ thing, at least.

If Loki was being honest, that’s how it had been since the two of them broke the Godseye Mirror, or perhaps even before that. Maybe it had always been this way. He wasn’t honest often, as of late.

Point is, he had once again been left to stew and sulk about everything that had happened and would happen, performing another mindless task that left him too much room for his mind to wander onto other things. Things like evil and villainy, for example. Since that’s what he was up to these days, according to everyone.

Today, he was tasked with overseeing the servants and cleaning staff who were working diligently to repair exceptional damage on the training fields. An absolutely arbitrary task for a prince to be handling. Ridiculous, actually. As one could expect, Thor was nowhere to be seen. Possibly mucking about on the training fields themselves. Possibly with Sif. _Ew._

He had placed himself in the changing rooms to oversee the work taking place below the fields. At least he wasn’t the one actually handling the cleaning effort; the room was more disgusting in person than it appeared through the looking-glass bowl the SHARP Society had provided him so long ago to contact his father. No wonder he rarely answered; if it meant leaving the golden halls of the palace to sit in this festering pit for even a minute, he wouldn’t have answered them at all. He tried to keep his boots clean by standing off to the side and away from the bustling workers. Leaning lazily against the wall, grateful for the thick cloth material separating him from its grimy stone surface, he was bored out of his mind.

Strangely, just as his eyes were beginning to droop, he heard a noise that didn’t belong. He looked down.

At Loki's feet, the washbasins post-cleaning stood, water still and undisturbed. Save for one basin, which happened to be directly beside where he was leaning against the wall. The water’s surface seemed to vibrate, losing its reflection of the washroom ceiling and taking on the reflection of another grimy and poorly lit room entirely. His eyes widened the smallest degree.

Before the call could come through, he inconspicuously picked up a discarded tray and sat it atop the basin, effectively creating a lid to hide the water’s surface from prying eyes. Making a quick decision, he ushered the serving staff out into the main hall of the changing room floor, sending them off to other tasks, closing the door behind the last one out.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” A muffled voice called from the covered washbasin, obscured by both the water and the tray lid. Loki’s breath caught in his throat. He recognized this voice. It was a voice he didn’t think he would ever hear again. He had been hoping he would never have to hear it again because he was just beginning to forget it. Forgetting it was so much easier than having to face it and the person it belonged to. His hand was still pressed to the door, frozen in place.

“Hello? It...it’s very dark in here for some reason.” The voice was beginning to sound a bit confused. He was thrown from his trance then and gingerly walked back to the basin, uncovering it. On the surface of the water was a man in a drab frock coat with a high stiff collar, looking just as nervous as he sounded. He fiddled with the buttons on his shirt, eyes darting around the room for a moment before falling on Loki himself. He looked no different than he had on the day they had unceremoniously parted ways. His hair was a bit longer though; short reddish curls framed his face and fell across his forehead like a crown atop his eyes. And he was wearing slightly nicer clothing. And he appeared a bit taller. Did he have so many freckles last time he saw him? He didn’t remember there being quite so many freckles...not that this was a bad thing.

  
“Oh! Hello..." The man blinked slowly, comprehending Loki with an incredulous stare. "...Loki?”

_“Theo?” _Another long stretch of silence persisted as he searched for something to say. Something clever and reasonable.

“Why are you in the washbasin?” _Ugh. Actually awful._

Theo stopped picking at a loose button of his shirt to gesture while he spoke. “I know it’s been two years since the whole...well...” He twirled his hand about as he spoke, “...thing. But I had been cleaning up a bit in the headquarters, and found the bowl, and thought about trying to use it to contact Asgard. I mean, I have used it before but I wasn’t usually the one operating it. That was Mrs.S. _So._ I thought I would try one last time,” He reached up to his face to push a strand of hair back behind his ear. “In case it could be useful later on. I honestly wasn’t sure it would even work. Thought that Odin would have disconnected it somehow. After what happened.”

Still at a loss for words. Loki floundered. “I assumed that you had died.” _Nailed it, again._

“Pardon?” Theo started, shaken from his train of thought.

“I mean, after what happened. With Mrs.S out of the picture, and the society barely surviving, and you being you,” He began. He fumbled to come up with some sort of reasoning to cover up his odd statement, but it withered into nothing as he spoke, watching Theo's face drop a fraction with each word.

“You were half right.”

“I didn’t want to get my hopes up.”

“Why didn’t you come back, then?” Theo raised his eyes to try and meet Loki's, who avoided them. The memory of their last meeting came rushing back to him.

Theo seemed to also remember. “If you were so concerned, why didn’t you take me with you?” Until then, his voice had been relatively even. The sudden outburst sent ripples across the water’s surface. Both of them drew back from the water’s edge, looking like the definition of regret. The question hung in the air for an eternity and a half before Loki found the right words to respond.

Loki shifted on his feet, avoiding looking directly at Theo by studying the rim of the washbasin. He clasped his hands together to keep from fidgeting. “I’m sorry. I truly am. If I thought you would be safe here, I would have taken you with me a thousand times over.”

“How could Asgard possibly be more dangerous than charming London?”

He finally met Theo's eyes, face turning gravely serious. “There are dangers here that you couldn’t even begin to comprehend.” 

“Like?”

“Like being associated with me.”

Theo sighed exasperatedly, rolling his eyes. “Oh, do tell, because surely you can’t be serious-“ He was cut off.

“I’ve only been able to keep one true friend here in all of my life, and her name was Amora and now she’s dead.” Theo's expression fell.

“Oh.” Both men froze as a servant scuffled past the closed doorway. Loki watched the door, and Theo watched Loki. As their footsteps faded out of earshot, they sat in silence once again.

Loki turned back to the basin. “Let's start over. So how aren’t you dead, really?” Theo dragged one hand across the side of his face, adjusting his resting position on the chair he was using. He briefly closed his eyes in concentration, piecing together as much of the last two years as he could recall.

“After the train accident, I made my way home. Excruciatingly slow from where we had been unceremoniously deposited beside the tracks, even if I was able to hail a taxi for a bit of the distance." If he had leveled Loki with a look, Loki hadn't seen it. "When I returned, Gem and I went about deciding what to do with what Mrs.S had left us after her passing. Mrs. S kept a will for her and her husband’s fortune, but it, unfortunately, wouldn’t be recognized as binding because she was _‘a delusional basket case of a woman.’_” Theo spoke the last part of this sentence in a rough approximation of that rude police officer they had encountered, whose name Loki had purposely forgotten.

“Or just because she was a woman at all. So I couldn’t inherit any currency which was willed to upkeep my flat. Within a month I had been evicted for not paying the rent on time. I took up residence in the building that our headquarters occupied to keep off the streets, and spent the better part of a year moving the remains of my belongings into the small space and moving any rubbish out. Nothing special or magical. Nothing that could be missed by anyone anymore.” He somehow managed to look even more distraught, then. Loki felt a small stab at his heart but pushed it away. It seemed like Theo's eyes had become glassy and wet, though it might have been the basin's surface playing tricks on him. He listened intently as Theo continued;

“I cleaned up the storefront and placed artifacts and antiques from the back room on display, hoping to make a dime peddling oddities to the city folk as real fakes. It took a while to get attention, but once business started up, I was making enough money to keep the building afloat. With my knowledge of the material, I made a great curator. I even got a dog.” He brightened a bit, a small sideways smile appearing on his face. Loki matched it, only a little less enthusiastically. Theo took a moment to wipe his eyes with a kerchief he brandished from a shirt pocket. 

“That’s how I found the bowl, actually. I was moving the last of my apartment’s contents into the backroom, moving around some boxes to make room for a bed, when I knocked the bowl right off of a storage bin and spooked myself.” He chuckled lightly.

Loki took this as an opportunity to speak up. “I’m glad you're doing well. I was genuinely worried about you for a while.”

“I thought you were too busy doing princely duties to worry about a filthy human man you met and kissed once.”

“Why do you think I’m in the changing rooms?” They both dissolved into light laughter, Loki chuckling brightly and Theo out of view of the bowl somewhere. The tension that had been creeping around their conversation began to ebb and dissolve around them.

The last few words of Theo’s jab just barely registered. Loki sighed. “As much as I hold disdain for your backwater dirtball of a realm, I want to go back. I miss it. And you. But mostly you.” A blush settled across Theo’s freckles which may have been a trick of the light across the water’s restless surface.

“You could.” Theo shifted where he was sitting, again fiddling with the loose button on his coat. “Come back to Earth, I mean. To Midgard. Maybe visit your favorite Midgardian while you’re here.” It came out as a bit of a question more than a suggestion. An invitation to finally make good on a promise.

“How do you know you’re my favorite and not Gem? Maybe Gem’s my favorite.” He jabbed at the water's surface, sending ripples across it. Theo crossed his arms defiantly.

“I never said it was me, you just confirmed it.”

“Pretty sure I said Gem was my favorite.”

“Oh quit it! You’re avoiding what I said.” Theo rested his head in his hands, catching Loki’s eyes and holding his gaze. “How about it? Maybe you could take a short break from being _'Loki, Prince of Asgard'_, and be_ 'Loki, Gentleman Who Is Just A Normal Fellow On Earth'_. Like _The Prince And The Pauper_, but... not exactly the same, I guess."

"Like what?" Loki was trying to keep up with what Theo was saying, but some references still made little sense to him. 

Theo waved his hand away. "Nevermind, I can give the book to you in person when you decide to drop by." Suddenly, Theo gasped, mouth agape and eyes wide. He clasped his hands together excitedly, so loud that it startled Loki. "Oh my goodness, I never actually explained dogs to you; I can introduce you to mine!" Loki could almost see the gears in his head spinning faster and faster as he made the realizations. "Perhaps I could show you other Earth things! We didn't have much time for tourism with the whole living-dead thing happening, I suppose."

Loki interjected. "I've been practically trapped in Asgard since the-"

"The whole living-dead thing," Theo supplied.

"Yes. So. As much as I would appreciate learning about _The Prince And The Pauper_ and "dogs" and what-not, I'm...conflicted." He saw Theo's face drop and then try to fix itself inconspicuously. He rolled his eyes, looking at cracks in the stone walls of the changing room. "But I don't see how this could do any more damage to my reputation, as it is already." He soured at this. If Theo detected the malice in his voice, he didn't show it. "So I suppose... if I can somehow escape this house-arrest..."

"You'll come back to London?" Theo finished, betraying excitement in his volume. Loki didn’t think he'd ever seen him this excited over anything since _Shakespeare_.

"Yes."

"Fantastic!" Theo reached out of view of the basin and drew back with his walking cane. "When should I expect you? Hopefully in this decade, at least." Theo ran his other hand through his hair. "I was mad as hops with you but I guess I can't just be ruffled forever. Now's a good a time as any to change. Right?" He waited for Loki to respond. 

Loki had been intently watching Theo ramble but hadn't heard much of what he was saying. He was also staring. "Right. Of Course. Could you repeat that?" At that moment Loki heard a chime sound and looked around for the source before realizing it came from Theo's end of the call. Theo looked to the source of the noise and stood up.

"I suppose that's my cue to exit. As I said, I didn't really expect anyone to pick up this call, so I wasn't expecting to talk well into the afternoon. I have to lock up the shop." Sometimes Loki forgot that humans had responsibilities besides just existing. "I assume you will contact me again whenever it is you decide to stop by?"

"Yes, of course," Loki rambled, already retreating into his thoughts to devise an escape plan of sorts. 

"Lovely. I'll be here." Theo's speech slowed down a near unnoticeable amount. "Please don't let me down this time." Before Loki could respond, Theo disappeared from view, followed by the backroom itself. Then, all that was left was the pattern of the stone ceiling above him reflected back through the water, still as if it had never been disturbed at all. Around him, the absolute silence of the room was becoming noticeable and irritating, so he left it. Beyond the changing rooms, it appeared the cleaning staff worked well enough without his oversight to finish the projects and retire for the night. He ascended to the training fields above and then began the short trek to his quarters. It was almost sunset. Nobody but a few guards appeared to be out.

For a moment, Loki placed aside his elaborate plans in favor of a much simpler one. It involved a bit of magic, which he was exceedingly good at now with two years' practice and knowledge gained from wielding the norn stones. If he was going to be expected to break the rules, he might as well use this to his advantage. In fact, this was a great idea. It's not like he'd even be doing anything particularly evil. _What better a time to leave than now?_ He could be gone and back before anyone noticed.

For a moment, Loki stood perched atop a bridge between two hallways. The next, he was gone.

A bird sporting black feathers with white and teal accents careened swiftly in the direction of the rainbow bridge.


	2. “Standing still doesn’t make you invisible, little magpie.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki decides to ditch Asgard for a couple of days and tour London with Theo. Heimdall is a better father figure then Odin with bare minimum effort. Loki finally gets to see what all the fuss is about with dogs, and maybe meets a new side character.

At first, he thought he could just sneak by Heimdall. Like most things, he tried not to get his hopes up.

His pessimism was rewarded when he quietly swooped into the atrium of the observatory, settling in a dark corner to observe his escape route. Heimdall stood motionless as he always did, staring into the vast expanse of the universe; not at the stars in the near distance, but at everything from where he stood to the end of the universe. Including Loki. 

Heimdall turned his head to look up at the little bird that perched above him. No one else could have possibly seen him there, but Heimdall’s eyesight was like no other’s. Curse it.

”Will you come down to say goodbye, or are you going to try to leave now?” Heimdall’s voice rumbled, warm and resonant. As if the whole universe was listening to him speak. Loki thought that maybe if he stood still long enough and pecked at some dust, Heimdall would be convinced he was just a normal bird.

“Standing still doesn’t make you invisible, little magpie.” He supposed his cover was blown, then.

He fluttered to the ground, changing form as he fell to land on his feet with experience and grace learned over time. After righting himself and fixing his clothes, brushing off some cobwebs, he looked up to see Heimdall now standing before him. His face, as usual, was impossible to read. He always had a stoic, stony expression on his face which, by some measure, contrasted the icy glare his father wore. Loki wasn't sure if it was his presence that brought this, or if it was the infinite cycle of life and death that never ceased before him. Of the two, he was surely more disappointing.

“You are going to visit your boyfriend on Midgard,” Heimdall spoke with little intonation, clear as a bell but lacking any jovial spirit. It should have been a question, but Heimdall already knew the answer.

Loki, who had been crafting his response and was not at all prepared for this statement, sputtered incredulously. ”Ew, what? No. What? Boyfriend? You mean best friend.” Heimdall raised an eyebrow. He backpedaled. “I mean, not a best friend; What, with a human? What human could befriend me? Ridiculous. I’m leaving to conquer Midgard and make it my own. Because I’m a terrible person.” He knew it wasn’t changing anything, to make up excuses like this. 

Apart from the raised eyebrow, Heimdall hadn’t budged an inch from where he blocked Loki’s path. Maybe he still had a chance to step around him if he moved fast enough. He should have used a smaller disguise to sneak around him, perhaps a snake or something similar... It wouldn't matter anyway, Heimdall was the key to the Bifrost, and he would have to convince Heimdall to let him through if he wanted to get off Asgard.

Then, without much fanfare, Heimdall stepped aside.

Loki did a double-take. He looked at Heimdall, then the observatory dais, then Heimdall again. Then he took one step forward, testing. He faced no opposition.

He turned to cast Heimdall a questioning glance, ”So does this mean I solved your bridge riddle?”

”I know the purpose of your journey.” Heimdall paused briefly, staring through Loki’s skull. “And I know you can’t possibly cause more harm than you did the last time you where sent there.”

Loki let out a breath he hadn't realized his was holding, tentatively striding towards the dais where Heimdall excepted people coming and going across the Bifrost. "You shouldn't underestimate me like that; the last time someone did I drove a train full of the undead into their bridge."

A brief pause settled between them before the gatekeeper continued. "And I think it will be good for you. To be out there, among humans." Loki's last step faltered. He turned around to face Heimdall.

"And I think your ears aren't nearly as exceptional as your eyes; I clearly said I would be conquering the realm and enslaving humanity." It was said like a joke but lacked the spirit of one. If Heimdall was offended by this, he didn't show it. If anything, he appeared to pity him. It was not the response Loki was hoping for.

"You do not have to lie to me, Loki" It hung in the air, echoing slightly. The rest of his message went unspoken: _You can trust me. I don't think you are inherently evil. I am not your father. You may confide in me._ His honey gold eyes were softer now, his face appearing subtly gentler, somehow.

How was it that every conversation he had with anyone involved this melancholy? 

"Heimdall, send me to Midgard." 

"Of course, Prince Loki," Heimdall said as the air turned to streaks of color and light around him. Heimdall didn't turn away from Loki until he had completely vanished from immediate sight, eyes met until he disappeared into the Bifrost. 

As Loki was engulfed by the vibrant light of the Bifrost, he tried to shake the horrible feeling that he had left with. He thought about Heimdall's parting words.

'_It's _'Gentleman Who Is Just A Normal Fellow On Earth'_ Loki, now,'_ He thought as he was swept further along his path.

The light was quiet and loud at the same time, moving so fast that he couldn't pick out individual colors, and so slow that streaks of it appeared to flow past him like a school of fish. Just as quickly as it began and nearly an eternity later, it ended, depositing him on his feet in a muddy field beside decimated train tracks. The first thing he sensed was bird song and the smell of flowers, wild pollen thick in the air. The air itself was warm with sunlight, though a cool breeze still blew his hair into his face. For a moment he ignored the train tracks, completely destroyed, and focused on the flora that was not present last time he had been to London. Tallgrass and ramsons brushed up against his legs, and further along the dirt walking path lied patches of bright kingcups and daisies. It was most likely mid-spring. He began walking towards civilization, surveying the damage caused at the end of his last excursion to Midgard. 

The train tracks looked like a hydra whose head had been violently severed from its body. It was straight and undisturbed until just before the fairy ring, where it became gnarled and scooped upwards from the earth, splitting into two metal snakes which curved into opposite directions from their base. The tracks on the other side of this monstrosity looked undisturbed, perfectly clipped where the train of the living-dead had been sequestered into Asgard. At this point, there were some railway workers sluggishly going about repairs to the tracks, though only one or two noticed the sudden addition to their numbers who was quickly evacuating the scene of the crime. Loki took note of their clothing, creating an illusion to match. He had become proficient in illusionary magic, as it was an invaluable resource in combat and stealth, and also made being fashionable leagues easier. He made a few minor changes to the ensemble as he passed more pedestrian traffic closer to the city. By the time he was on the street which housed the SHARP Society headquarters, he was wearing a white shirt under a beige double-breasted vest and trousers to match, a reasonable ensemble for the temperature. He included an arsenic-green necktie as well, tied around his collar. Of course, unlike anyone else wearing the pigment in this era, he was unlikely to die from its poisonous nature.

It only occurred to him as he was mere yards away from the building that he was, in fact, _only a few yards away from the building._ And from Theo. Theo, who was inside of the building he was almost in front of, who was not expecting him to arrive. Because he had neglected to tell anyone of his departure, including Theo himself. _Oh._

He stopped in front of the building, thinking of what he would say. What could he say? The building, which had looked neglected and infested when the last visited, now appeared to be alive and well. The sign at the door which had previously read "B.A SHARP, ANTIQUITIES" now read "T. Bell Historic Preservation & Antiquities". It was obviously new and slightly larger than the original sign: A simple dark wood frame with filigree upon its surface and the text laid in bold copperplate writing.

While he stood gawking at the storefront, a couple walked up behind him, the taller of the two checking his shoulder and pushing him aside. "Watch where you're loitering, ratbag. blazes..." He spat over his shoulder. The woman at his side looked back as they passed him, giving him an apologetic look. The little brass bell over the door made a pleasant chiming sound as they entered, not unlike the one he heard at the end of his call with Theo. He watched them disappear into the building. And then he made up his mind to follow them.

The interior was even more pleasant than the exterior. The wallpaper had been freshly painted a light blue hue and was no longer peeling with age. A ladder on wheels sat in the far corner of the room and shelves lined the walls, out of arm's reach and filled with books new and old of varying topics. Beneath them, simple glass display cases had been placed, showing an assortment of trinkets and bobbles unlike what was shown at the British Museum in quality, but equally as ancient. Loki's eyes trailed across the display cases, taking in familiar and unfamiliar artifacts alike. Some of them he remembered seeing stuffed into that cramped, dark room in the basement, some were newer. The couple he had followed into the building had disappeared further into the room; the man's wife pulled him towards where a crowd gathered. They joined the small group around a particularly interesting thing that he couldn't see through the people surrounding it. Instead of joining them, he hung back towards the front door, tracing the titles on faded books' spines with little real interest. Some, he recognized, seemed to come from Bell's personal collection.

One thing still irked him. He had yet to see T. Bell, himself.

After a few minutes, his thoughts traveled from waiting for Theo to appear to studying one of the cases. It contained a Tafl board and pieces; the board was not much more than a rotted square of cloth and the pieces chips of alabaster shell. Lost in thought, he didn't notice the footsteps coming up behind him.

He heard the tap of a cane against the hardwood floor first, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Pardon me, sir. Are you looking for something in particular?" Loki turned to look over his shoulder, still facing the glass case. The young man was leaning heavily on a cane in his left hand, facing him. He wore a small lopsided grin, and above that on his nose, a pair of green-tinted spectacles.

Loki kept his voice level and low to discourage any of the other patrons from eavesdropping. "Yes, actually. A book; I believe it was called _The Paper And The Prince_?" He turned to face Theo completely, a small smile he had been trying to hide beginning to show through his uninterested facade.

"I think the book you are searching for is called _The Prince And The Pauper_. It's in the back room. May I show you to it?" Theo responded, betraying a double meaning, but trying very hard not to. Loki stepped away from the shelves to follow him.

"I don't suppose this back room also has strange black powder in store?" Loki countered. 

Theo clasped a hand to his chest. "Unfortunately not; we stopped getting it shipped in about two years ago."

"What a shame," Loki said, following Theo past the crowd. At the back of the store, a young boy was leaning against the wall beside the stairs, watching the customers with more interest than the antiques. He was barely tall enough to reach the top of Theo's waist and dressed like a street urchin; Loki supposed that, based on looks alone, he was the most likely to be picking pockets of anyone here besides Loki himself. He took a momentary break from people watching to assess Loki as the pair approached him, surveying his apparel from his head to his feet. Loki felt the urge to guard his pockets, but resisted it.

"Arthur, please watch the storefront for me. I have a guest who needs to see the back rooms. Don't let anyone go downstairs in the meantime." The kid, Arthur, gave a small nod of understanding and brought his attention back to the patrons. He almost reminded Loki of Heimdall, if Heimdall was 4 feet tall, dirty, and white as a sheet. Theo led him past Arthur and down the narrow flight of stairs. With the creaking of the stairs, a wrinkly little creature darted out from between the legs of the crowd to follow them. It's appearance caught Loki off guard because he had trouble putting a name to the creature. He couldn't remember ever seeing anything like it before. It had short fur covering most of its body, and a stubby little tail which waved around excitedly. It's gaping maw was dripping spittle. Loki stood frozen at the top of the stairs, mouth slightly ajar, watching it approach while Theo continued to slowly descend the steps. Loki stood mystified by the strange little animal. It waddled past Loki to traverse the stairs one at a time. "Theo, there's a...thing...following us." 

"What?"

Theo lacked his concern. He twisted at the waist to look back up the stairs from the step he was on, just in time to notice the thing following them bound past his legs to the bottom of the stairs. He looked at Loki's stunned expression for a moment and burst into laughter.

Loki scowled. Theo collected himself. "I apologize; I can't believe I didn't introduce you sooner. This is my dog, Ikol." He gestured towards the dog. Loki stood at the top of the stairs, Theo at the bottom, unlocking the door.

"You're joking."

"About what?" Theo opened the door at the bottom of the stairs. "The dog or the name?" They filled in the back room, Theo shutting the door behind the three of them, muffling the noise of the crowd above.

"This can't be the _"dog"_ you spoke of, its..." He searched for the words to describe the animal which was now slobbering on his boots.

"Handsome? Wonderful? Charming?" Theo supplied, helpfully.

Loki settled on a different descriptor. "Revolting. Truly revolting."

"What do you mean, _"Revolting"? _Ikol is the pinnacle of grace, the spectacle bulldog of T. Bell's Historic Preservation and Antique shop!" The pinnacle of grace continued to slobber on Loki's boots. Theo sat down at the table which was pushed up against the far right corner of the room. He propped his walking cane against the side of the table, stretching his arms. Ikol, noticing, waddled over to him, nails scratching the wood floor. Theo reached down carefully and picked up the medium-sized dog, grunting with the effort it took to place the dog in his lap. "But enough about Ikol, let's hear about you." He patted the table with a free hand and patted Ikol with the other. "Take a seat and tell me why the god of mischief was standing in my shop front today."

Loki walked the short distance to where Theo sat and pulled out the only other chair at the table to sit on. "Well, you did say..."

"I didn't think you would show up on the very same day!" Ikol jumped from Theo's lap to sniff around Loki's feet. Theo folded his arms across one another, resting his head on the tabletop. "I didn't have any time to prepare another bed or get proper food kinds of stuff or clean up at all."

"I thought you said that the reason you found the bowl was that you were cleaning."

Theo sighed, "It's not the same."

"I apologize for making good on my promise too soon. Should I go back to Asgard and wait another year for you to prepare?" Loki joked. For a second, Theo seemed to believe he was being serious, though he caught on quick, sending a glare across the table.

"Goodness, no. Please stay awhile. You don't mind sleeping on the floor again?" Theo said. Loki looked around at the floor and, true to his word, there was only one square of thick blankets on the floor in the adjacent corner, which could have been a bed if he squinted hard enough. Regardless, there was only one, so one of them would be sleeping on the floor again.

"Not at all."

Remembering the reason they had gone down to the backrooms, Theo reached across the table to where the bowl lie. Just past it was a fairly new, decent-sized red bound book. Black text across the front read _"The Prince And The Pauper by Mark Twain" ._ He slid it to Loki. "This can keep you busy while I close up shop."

"What's it about?" Loki called after Theo as he stood, cane in hand, to ascend the stairs to the storefront.

"Read it and find out!" Theo called down the stairs.

Loki watched him disappear from sight. It was just him and the dog now. Ikol...what a strange name for a dog...

_...Wait._

He looked at the dog resting at his feet. The dog looked back at him, its half-lidded, watery eyes blinking slowly.

"You cannot possibly expect to replace me, _dog,_" Loki spat at Ikol. It was a half-hearted jab at best. Ikol rested his head on the floor between his paws, a wheezing breath escaping him. Loki sighed and turned his attention back to the book he had been given.

The door chime was loud enough to be heard from where he sat. '_Patrons leaving for the day'_, Loki presumed. The silence afterward was a little uncomfortable. He continued to read.

He was roughly ten pages into the book when he heard someone skip down the stairs. At first, he thought it was Theo, but realized the footfalls where to light and fast to be Theo. They were arrhythmic and sounded too close together to be Gem. Preparing for a stranger to enter the headquarters, Loki closed the book quietly, concealing a blade in his hand under the table. He watched the door, waiting.

The door creaked open, and a ratty brown mop of hair ducked in, looking around the room. _Arthur._ The boy, quiet as a mouse, walked to a coat rack beside the door to retrieve a satchel-bag that was hanging there. He seemed not to have noticed Loki at the table, too busy gathering what was presumably his belongings. In jostling the bag a single coin fell through a hole in its side and rolled across the floor, not stopping until it hit a crack beneath Loki's feet; Arthur and Loki watched it until it stopped. At that moment Arthur noticed the other occupant of the room, startled. His eyes darted from the coin to the door to Loki. Seemingly making a choice, he walked up to Loki like an untrusting raccoon, steps calculated. Loki reached down and picked up the coin, wordlessly holding it out to the boy, who took it from him and quickly fled the room. As he rounded the door frame, Loki heard a faint "Thank you". His voice was light and airy, somewhat higher in pitch than what Loki had expected from him. How odd. He had thought that the boy may have been vocally impaired, but rather, the quietness seemed to be a choice. His footsteps tapped up the stairs.

Only seconds later, he heard the dull thump of something dropping to the floor; there was a clatter as both Arthur's bag and Theo's cane hit the ground at the top of the stairs. "Oh! Be careful, Arthur." Theo's voice startled from the hall. A moment passed during which Loki was genuinely afraid for Theo's wellbeing before he pushed the door open and let himself into the room. "By Jove, that boy is quick as a mouse and quiet as a thief." Theo took the seat beside him. 

"Are you alright?"

"He nearly ran me over at the top of the stairs." He exclaimed. "Did you frighten him? You didn't- did you pull a blade on him?"

Loki wasn't sure. "I'm not sure."

"About the frightening or the blade?" Theo questioned. Somewhere above them, the distant doorbell chimed, signaling Arthur's departure.

Loki stealthily drew back the blade in his hand, still hidden under the table. His answer was slow and calculated. "Yes."

Theo sighed. A clock on the wall read 9:54 PM. Ikol had long since fallen asleep on the floor, his foot twitching.

Theo pulled the chair towards the furnace, opening it's compartment and furnishing it with new fuel. Loki stood to aid him, but he waved his hand. "Let me do this, you are my guest after all." He pulled a matchbook from the floor beside the furnace and struck a match.

Loki sat down again, opening the book to where he left off. "This whole situation seems eerily familiar."

Theo shot him a lighthearted glare between breaths, breathing the spark into a fire. The furnace glowed warmly, the fire quickly consuming kindling. They settled into easy conversation. Time seemed to move slower while they talked.

They were just talking about mundane things: different breeds of dogs, a Shakespeare exhibit which had opened at a nearby theatre, how Theo was planning to find food for them both tomorrow. It felt strange. Everything was strange. While they talked, Loki couldn't help but hear a little voice in the back of his mind which was very furiously exclaiming the absurdity of the entire situation. Him, Loki. On Midgard, of all places. Trading pleasant small talk with a human, of all things. A human that he maybe liked a little bit. Theo got up to pull the kettle off of the furnace. It was the very same that he had used in his apartment nearly two years prior. Their conversation tapered into a comfortable silence as Theo poured himself and his guest tea. Suddenly the world which was already feeling pretty small seemed to shrink around him until it was just him and his companion. He wasn't a claustrophobic person, but being in this room, quiet and dimly lit by the warmth of the furnace, with Theo beside him, a cup of tea drawn to his lips, he felt small. He felt out of place. 

But most of all, he decided, he felt safe. There was nothing on Midgard that could possibly harm him as far as he knew, he was as far away from Thor and Odin as he could manage without leaving the galaxy, and Theo...

He glanced away from his book, peering at Theo from behind the pages. He was practically falling asleep in his chair, staring at the crackling fire with half-lidded eyes. His head lolled and jerked upright as he caught himself falling asleep again.

_'...And Theo is here', _Loki Thought, content. Theo yawned. Crickets chirped from some crevice in the floor. 

He decided that this was a great idea after all.


	3. “Where did you get that?”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo tries to show Loki some of the best parts of London (or lack thereof), starting with The London Library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading the first two chapters and leaving really nice comments! It means the world to me that people actually genuinely enjoy my writing style. Additionally, you can find me on Tumblr @viioll.
> 
> Again, thank you for reading and leaving kudos/comments! Please enjoy chapter three:

* * *

He woke up to the sound of the storefront doorbell ringing, it's chime resonating through the stairway and down to the backroom-turned-apartment where Theo was allowing Loki to stay for the duration of his visit. Loki sat up from where he had fallen asleep and tried to recall the night before.

_They had been sitting around the table, talking about what Theo was planning to do with their time tomorrow when he stood up to pull the kettle for tea. They settled into quiet companionship after that, Loki turning his attention to the book he was reading and Theo regarding the fire wearily. Lost in the story, he didn't realize that Theo had fallen asleep until his cane slipped out of his arm and rattled to the ground, startling him. Theo, on the other hand, continued to snore, undisturbed by the ruckus he caused._

_He considered leaving him in the chair he had fallen asleep in and taking the floor mat for himself; he was the guest, after all. _

_When he stood up to pick the cane up off the ground, a thought occurred to him about Theo's condition. Physically speaking, it would probably pain him more to sleep in a hard wooden chair than on the mat. Neither was good, but there was clearly a large margin of difference in comfort. He looked between the two for a while longer before making up his mind. Slowly, he moved Theo from the chair to the mat, being careful not to jostle him too much. Somehow, to Loki's relief, he slept through the entire moving process. After drawing a thin blanket over him, he took one of the chairs and placed it against the wall between the small furnace and the bed mat. He resumed reading by candle-light, not even noticing when the book slipped out of his grasp and into his lap as he fell asleep._

That explained why he had a terrible crick in his neck. He made a mental note to ask Theo about improving their living situation. Another chime sounded from above. He looked at the clock, which read 9:27 AM, and at the door to the stairwell, slightly ajar. His gaze swept across the room and settled on the table, where an orange and some bacon sat on a square of off-white cloth next to a cup of tea. The breakfast had likely been sitting out for some time, as the tea was lukewarm to the touch and the bacon fat was solidifying on the cloth. It was nothing like what he would have eaten on Asgard. In fact, it was leagues below the quality of food the serving staff would eat that very morning, lightyears away.

Nevertheless, breakfast meats were always welcome. Clearing his thoughts, he ate, not rushing but watching the clock tick by, every minute growing more curious about the itinerary for the day. He hadn't done something so mundane in...well, in as long as he could remember. Being one of two princes of the most prestigious realm of the universe didn't add up to much downtime to eat oranges, tour small Midgard cities and pet dogs. Peeling the orange, he continued to listen to the clock tick, every second a second he wasn't by Theo's side doing god knows what out in the world. Well. London wasn't the whole world, but it was a place to start. Maybe, he supposed, if he found a few more reasons to prove Midgard a worthy realm for him to be in, he would stay. It would be more reason than he had to stay on Asgard, regardless.

Another chime. He thought he could hear people talking in the rooms above his head, heavy footsteps on hardwood floors. He noticed that his book was sitting on the table, and that the communication bowl they had used to talk the day before was being used to harbor various fruits and a small loaf of bread. As much as he wanted to be in outrage over a magical tool from Asgard being used as a centerpiece, he thought the poetic justice of turning a gift from the king of the gods into a fruit bowl was far too rewarding to penalize.

He finished breakfast and folded the dirty cloth neatly into squares, placing it under the teacup, turned upside-down. He wasn't sure where to put it, so he left it on the table only feeling half awkward for it. The other half of him felt a little mischevious. Not that he wasn't mischievous all the time, but this felt different.

It wasn't just the cloth and cup that made him feel this way, that would be ridiculous. The whole entire _running away thing_ felt strange. He was beginning to think that this was going to be a new, common theme in his life.

Besides breaking the mirror and stealing the stones, everything he'd done in the past had been justified or accidental, or a joke. But this was on purpose. 

Perhaps this was his way of meeting the unspoken demands of his father. 

He had tunnel vision, staring at the napkin and teacup. The edges of his vision seemed to blur and lose focus. His hands fell into his lap. Maybe this was how he was destined to be. He did vow to be evil, didn't he? _Was this the beginning of a new version of himself? When did he start noticing all the little things he did like this? When did he start to fail? How long had he been sitting here?_

After a few long seconds, he blinked, his sight clearing and his thoughts dispersing. He looked around the room, blinking. He suddenly felt very foolish. It was absurd that something so small and inconsequential could cause such a strong reaction in his conscious. 

"...oki?...Loki? Loki, are you awake down there?"

A voice had been calling his name, he noticed. He blushed, feeling even dafter for not answering the call sooner. Before he could answer, Theo walked through the doorway, his eyes sweeping the room from the bed to the chair to the table, finally settling on him. His mouth broke into a smile. Distantly, he felt his heart melt a little. "Yes?" He said. He stood up to be eye level with Theo, challenging him to ask any questions, as if he had even witnessed whatever it was that just happened. Which he hadn't. Why was he paranoid?

Theo noticed a strange expression on his companion's face but didn't press for information. "I thought I heard you moving around down here, but I was too busy until just now to come down and check in on you. It occurred to me last night that I couldn't leave the store unattended, so I've entrusted Arthur with the store today. I'm hoping doing so will leave us free to have the entire day to ourselves, to tour London." He beamed at him, awaiting a reaction.

_The entire day to themselves._ That sounded nice. _And definitely not at all like a date_, a thought bubbled up from his conscious. He decided to leave that out of his response.

"That sounds nice."

They attempted to walk side by side up the stairs, but Theo's cane made it difficult to do so. Loki settled into step behind him instead. As they reached the top of the stairs, Loki took his place at Theo's side again to continue the conversation they had started. "So if Arthur is watching the store, who is watching Arthur?"

"What do you mean by that?" Theo said quizzically. To emphasize his question, Arthur was perched on the end of a display case, Ikol in his wake chasing crumbs from the biscuit in his hands which fell to the floor as he ate it. Just like he had last afternoon, he watched the few early patrons like a hawk watches field mice; which is to say with a stare that said 'Don't steal anything if you don't want to lose the thing you stole as well as your wallet and your easily accessible valuables'. Despite this, he was clearly no older than ten years old and looked the part perfectly. He was wearing the exact same outfit as he had been yesterday, satchel strap across his chest.

Somebody should probably be in the store to watch over him, for the safety of himself and the safety of the patrons alike. Theo seemed to catch on to what he was implying, if only about leaving a young child in charge of a store full of extremely valuable treasures. "Oh, don't worry about him. I asked a friend to step in today to help keep things running smoothly. You remember him, right? It's-"

"Gem," Loki interjected, noticing the individual by the front door.

It was hard to miss him, a hulking individual with shoulders almost as wide as two Arthurs standing side by side. He was a giant compared to all of the other patrons moving around him like water around a rock in a stream. In his policeman's uniform, he was imposing, arms resting across his chest. Gem was looking at Loki from under a stacked hat, eyes overshadowed by his brow. Upon seeing Loki, his expression darkened, his lips settling into a frown. He and Loki stood face-to-chest, Loki having to incline his head a bit to meet his eyes. There was fire in them.

After Gem had determined his scathing glare was thoroughly understood by the green gentleman, which it wasn't entirely, he disregarded him completely, facing Theo so that Loki had a fantastic view of his back. He stood awkwardly in their shadows as they exchanged morning greetings. Theo, despite his aptitude for failing to read the room, chose this instance to notice the tension between them.   
  
"Loki, perhaps you should wait outside while I finish briefing Gem on shop etiquette and duties for the day. If you don't mind." His eyes darted between the two of them, hand absentmindedly tugging at the light scarf around his throat.

Loki reminded himself to thank Theo for letting him leave when they were reunited outside the shop. "Not a problem at all," he hurriedly replied. He was almost certain that if he had been in Gem's presence any longer, he would have received a lot worse welcome than a scathing glare. Opening and closing the door, he breathed in a deep breath, and then let it out. Why was Gem in such a bad mood? And _why_ was it directed at him? A shadow hung over him, the answer just out of reach. He dismissed the hovering anxiety in favor of taking in the London morning atmosphere.

Something about the crisp morning air was soothing despite it's dry, disgusting, polluted and magic-less nature. He sat on the tallest of the three narrow steps at the foot of the front door, idly watching and critiquing the fashion of passers-by. He made a few tweaks to his own outfit when he saw something he particularly liked. A woman passed by in a lovely white blouse, the sleeves bunched up like clouds, ending at her wrists in short lace fringe. The collar of the shirt was tight at the base of her neck, a plaited pattern weaving around it and down the front of the shirt. After she was well out of sight, he added the shirt to his ensemble, replacing the vest he had worn the day before. He kept the necktie, though. It matched his eyes. 

A moment of quiet observation later, Theo appeared at the door with a chime. He was dressed similarly to what Loki had worn the day before, though his color scheme was more cool blue and grey. In the early sunlight, the edges of his hair where backlit like a fiery halo around his head. It was quite the look. Theo offered him a hand to pull him up and off the step. He accepted it.

Theo picked a direction and they began walking down the nearly empty street. He still had yet to tell him where they were going. Theo, sure of where his feet were taking him, turned his head to look at Loki. He noticed the change in apparel almost immediately, taking in the new choice of clothing. 

"Is that a women's blouse? Where did you get it?"

Loki rolled his eyes dramatically. "No, it's _my_ blouse. And I made it."

Theo stared at him with an unbelieving and curious expression. "You made it? On the stairs? In, what, five minutes?" He turned the corner of a building onto a new street. "Where did your other shirt and vest go?"

He would be lying if he said he wasn’t happy with the positive attention he garnered from using magic on Midgard, even if it was basically parlor tricks. "Relax, Theo, it's all magic. It's a surface-level illusion at best." He waved his hand while he spoke, freezing when Theo caught it with his own. He stared at their hands while Theo turned his sleeved arm around, feeling the material.

"It doesn't feel magical. It feels like cotton linen." He remarked, his hand patting up his arm towards his shoulder. Before he could get much farther in his impromptu investigation of the false material, Loki snatched his arm back. Theo glared at him with false contempt, hindered from his inspection. Loki tried to change the subject.

"What was wrong with Gem this morning? He seemed..." Loki paused, watching the corners of Theo’s mouth drop out of the grin he had been wearing. "He seemed upset? Or angry?" It was hard to describe the exact emotion, though he had plenty of experience being on the receiving end of that specific expression. It could best be described as the glare you give someone who is seriously testing your patience, to the point where you would gladly murder that someone if the laws you followed didn't prohibit it. Theo sighed, eyes to the ground. "Did I do something?" Loki asked. 

Theo laughed, a short bark that echoed down the near-empty street. "_Did you do something_?" he repeated sarcastically. He kicked a pebble along the path. "Oh, I don't know, perhaps aiding in the murder of our employer and dear friend? Betraying us like you did? Or is that not enough to cause outrage by Asgardian standards?"

Loki was taken back by the sudden change in Theo's voice. After he composed himself, he responded. "I...understand. I'm sorry I asked such a blunt question." 

It was Theo’s turn to be surprised. “Yea well, not everyone has forgiven you as I have." He offered another smile, a chance to change the subject again. Loki thought about taking it.

"I apologize, again. Sincerely. I really am sorry for that whole 'thing'.” He gestured with his hands again. “All of it. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for what I've taken." He felt like no amount of apologies would ever be enough. This was just one more horrible effect of his actions that he would have to carry with him.  
He felt that deep pain once more in his chest, like his heart was stuttering to keep up with his emotions. 

Theo sniffed, his arm bumping against Loki's own. "At least you are trying to apologize in earnest. It's more than the you from two years ago would have done." Loki contemplated this, lifting his eyes to the street to see people walking along, coming and going from buildings. The sun was still nearly level with the tops of the buildings, giving them a lovely orange glow and casting deep black shadows between them.

Loki took the opportunity to ask him another question that had been weighing on his mind since he arrived yesterday.

"So..." He considered how to approach the question. "Is Arthur one of your kin? It seemed so sudden, for him to appear in your shop as an employee, as young as he is." He watched as Theo processed this question. He could almost pinpoint the exact moment the question registered. Theo's eyes went wide like china saucers, his face going through ten shades of red before going white as a sheet, momentarily at a loss for words. "Is he an illegitimate child? I didn't think that was much like you." Loki continued, abandoning his composure to grin like a cat as Theo floundered.

He regained his composure to respond, still reeling from the question. "You think I'm old enough to be his father? I'm amused and a little upset."

"Well, you couldn't have just picked him up off the street, that's just..." Loki watched Theo's expression drift away, his eyes trailing off of Loki and to the flowerbeds of tulips they passed. Any color that had been creeping back into his cheeks was drained again. "_...oh my_. You absolutely just picked him up off the street, didn't you?" A grin split his face as a grimace tore through Theo's. It was Loki's turn to berate the other with questions. "Where did you find him? Or did he find you? Did you adopt him? Are you going to ado-"

Theo raised his hand defensively. "Stop, stop, wait! Just wait. First of all, he is not my son or my illegitimate or adopted child. He is my employee. Secondly," He paused, holding up two fingers, "Secondly, he came from..." Pause. "...I found him..." He searched for the answer but had difficulty describing it. "He's...Uhm, he's a bit like me, if you can imagine it. A bit like you, too? In a way. Not quite the same but...from what little he has told me about where he was before I found him, I'm almost certain he's safer now in my care than he was. Before." Theo paused again, thinking. He sighed. “Let me start over.” Loki was quiet, sensing a change in the conversation. He waited for Theo to continue.

"I found him sitting on my front step one night, a few weeks after officially moving into the building; I had gone out to lock the front door. He was dirty and small as a kitten, wearing what was once a dress, then tattered beyond repair. Being myself, I had a natural inclination to help the kid, going against my better judgment to let him into the building for the night." He fiddled with the hem of his coat, his eyes looking beyond the street, as if he wasn’t just remembering the memory, but seeing it as well. “Which was incredibly dangerous I think, considering how much of a scoundrel he is. I’m surprised he didn’t steal my valuables and leave while my back was turned.” 

"One night turned into one week and then a year. I helped him. I got him fresh clothes and shoes and some food and before I knew it he had established himself in my home and business. So I kind-of just let him go in and out as he pleases. Sometimes he disappears for days on end, but he always comes back. I pay him to watch the front while I conduct society business in the back.” Theo snapped back into reality then, looking at the ground, thoughtfully. “He's a good kid."

Loki hadn't intended to draw such a story from Theo and was more curious now than he had been before. He tried to keep from blurting out all the new questions that were forming in his head. He had one, though, that he was genuinely interested in knowing the answer to.

"Arthur was a girl?" Loki asked.

Theo was a bit taken back by the bluntness of his question but answered anyway. "What? Is that all you took from- No. Arthur was never a girl.” He grimaced. “That's just the role he was born into."

"Hm." Loki hummed. "I can relate."

Theo glanced at him, then back at the ground, and then back to Loki, waiting for any more questions. Although Loki had more to ask, he held his tongue out of respect. He could always ask more questions when they found a more private setting, off the street. This seemed like one of those things that Midgardians were touchy about, judging by Theo’s odd reaction to his simple question. 

Distracted by their conversation, he didn’t notice the progress they made on their journey, stopping at a "T" in the road. He would have asked what their destination was if it wasn't already looming obviously above them on the other side of the street.

Loki noticed the nondescript but imposing nature of it. The tall, dark building was bigger than it’s peers on the street, an outlier in size and architectural beauty. It appeared to be vacant of customers, though the lights inside were on. A small bronze plaque beside the door read "_The London Library, Est.1841_".

"A Library?" Loki questioned as they crossed the street.

"My favorite library," Theo said gleefully while they followed the linear gravel path to the front door. "It houses over one million books in over 50 languages. It's magnificent, and it's all free to the public."

"It's nothing compared to Asgard's palace libraries," Loki mumbled in response, eyes still taking in the size of it. It was nothing compared to the majesty of the libraries he was used to, but he didn't say anything more, not intending to crush Theo's enthusiasm which had lit up his face like a star.

Theo's expression soured briefly nonetheless. "Well, perhaps I would have a point of reference if I had been able to see it in person." Loki gawked at the obvious jab while Theo opened the door and held it for him. He looked at him expectantly. "Well, _your majesty?_ Are you coming in or not?" He entered the building, the door closing behind him. Loki followed.

Theo led him towards a stairwell to the second floor. He spoke in a hushed tone. "I've been coming to this library for years. It has a fantastic selection of both fiction and nonfiction books, as well as an incredible collection of fairytales and myths from around the world. Any books I couldn't find for my own collection would always be here." He navigated the shelves like he had done it a thousand times. It reminded Loki of how he and Amora used to weave through the palace library's shelves, finding books to show each other and read, hidden from the world. He tried to let go of the memory. Theo continued speaking over his thoughts. "When I was a student, mostly through university, I would come here every day after classes to read from their collection. It is incredible that such a place exists, a place where anyone can find nearly immeasurable knowledge for free. I thought it would be a good a place as any to start our day, especially because nobody else is likely to be here this early." He stopped at a clearing in the shelves where a long table was situated, surrounded by elegantly upholstered chairs.

"It is rather impressive. For a Midgardian establishment." Loki said passively. Theo seemed to misgauge the severity of the comment, beaming with pride. He went his own way to a shelf with various ancient tomes, while Loki stood still, taking in the room. It was musty and smelled of books and age, as all good libraries did. The shelf nearest to him had fictional storybooks from various peoples from across Midgard’s history. He read some titles, looking for one that might interest him and teach him a bit about Midgardian history through their stories. _Anansi And Other African Folk-Tales...A Book Of Polish Children's Stories...Russian Folk-Tales, Stories, And Myths...The Complete Collection Of The Brothers Grimm: Germanic FairyTales..._

Perhaps it was because all of this knowledge was unknown to Loki, but the library _did_ almost seem as magnificent as Theo made it out to be. How could there still be books like this that he had never even heard of? With so many stories and anthologies to choose from, he had trouble deciding which to begin reading. He glanced across the room to Theo.

Theo had already pulled a book from the shelf. He found it so quickly after searching that Loki wondered if he had come to look for this book before. He absentmindedly pulled one of the books from the shelf so that he didn't have to keep Theo waiting.

He was glad that he picked a book without much care because as soon as he sat down, Theo reached across the table and replaced it with his own book. It was hardcover bound and looked to be nearly falling apart with age. He threw a curious glance at Theo. Theo gave him a nervous smile in return.

"It might interest you to read this book in particular." Loki looked at the cover. _The Prose Edda, Reprinted and Abridged from Snorri Sturluson, circa. 1179. Reprinted, 1819._

He was still confused. 

Theo went on. "Only if you want to, of course. After the reaction you had to a similar book two years ago, I would not be offended if you didn't want to read this one." 

Well. Now he was intrigued. He pulled the book towards himself and opened the cover to the first page. And then the second. And then a third. 

He decided that he wasn't completely offended by this book, and continued to read. It seemed Theo had a secret nack for finding books he enjoyed.

A few hours passed, and they sat in silence, only accompanied by the library's ambient sounds downstairs. Occasionally Loki would comment on something that stood out to him in the text, and Theo would give context. It was amicable and warm at the table. Reading the book was almost therapeutic, somehow; it relieved tension in his mind that he didn't know he had been holding onto. 

Eventually, Loki asked about The Marriage Of Njord And Skadi, and Theo decided it was time to leave.

They walked side by side down the wide stairway, their voices echoing into the hall. "I thought the book was really interesting. Not nearly as upsetting as the other book you had with you earlier," Loki said, "It was rather entertaining. Especially the part where Book-Me tried to make Skadi laugh by-"

"_No_." 

"By tying a goat to his-"

"_**Stop! **Stop right now!_" Theo batted at him with his free arm, effectively silencing him. Loki started laughing, and then Theo started laughing because he was laughing, and it all went downhill from there. Or downstairs more like. They stepped off the stairwell and into the main hall.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was honestly convinced that it had been a terrible idea, considering..." He trailed off, looking away. 

Loki got to the door before him and held it open while Theo limped through it. "I've changed a bit, actually," Loki said as they exited the building, "I'm trying to embrace that version of myself a bit more, you know, self-acceptance and healing and all that."

Theo shot him a quizzical look. "You aren't going to try any of that, though, are you? The stuff from the book?" Loki stifled a small smirk. "Because I was really actually starting to like you and if you decide you want to be evil now, that would make me very sad." 

Loki neglected to tell him about his pact with himself to become the villain his father believed him to be, or the fact that he had just "borrowed" the Prose Edda from The London Library's collection. Now probably wasn't the best time to bring up those two things in particular.

"How do you know I haven’t already done any of these things? All stories are based in reality, Theo. There's nothing evil about a tug of war between a goat and-" A loud bang cut him off this time, the cacophonous noise ringing down the street. It sounded like the feast hall doors being slammed shut, or two glaciers crashing into each other. "what was that!?" Loki blurted, disregarding his previous statement, his eyes darted back and forth across the street. He saw nothing out of the ordinary, and it was as if no one else on the street had heard the noise by the way they failed to react to it. He turned to Theo, who was watching his reaction with mirth. "Why are you smiling?" He asked him. People were starting to look at them now. Theo waved his hand.

"Calm down, it's nothing exciting, just some sound from the docks."

He schooled himself back into his neutral expression, trying to pretend that he hadn't been honestly frightened by the sound."The docks?"

"Oh! We never went to the docks before!" Theo exclaimed, "The London Docks, I mean." This didn’t answer either of his questions at all. Loki didn't like being confused all the time. Maybe The London Library had some books that could enlighten him on basic Earth knowledge; he would have to check later.

He was still reacting to the sudden noise, hair standing on end. "Does everything in this city have to have the word 'London' in its name?" Theo reached for his arm while he wasn't paying attention, and it startled him. They looked at each other.

"I'm not 'The London Theo', am I?" Theo joked, pulling Loki along by his arm, escaping the few people still watching them.

"You are to me," Loki replied, shaking Theo's grip on his arm. He could walk fine on his own, _thank you very much_. "Where are we going now?" The sun was almost at the midpoint of its journey across the sky, beaming down on their heads. It was nearly mid-day. Loki decided to add a hat to his ensemble, protecting his head from the hot rays which caused the road ahead of them to simmer and move like a wet watercolor painting.

"We're going to the docks, if it wasn't apparent." Theo glanced at him before returning his eyes to the path ahead of them. Then he did a double-take.

"Could you make me a hat, too?" He asked flippantly, gesturing to the new accessory atop Loki's head. Loki momentarily followed his hand, feeling foolish when he realized how he must look trying to see his own hat. He looked back at Theo, who was once again grinning at him, and appeared to visibly think about it. 

"I don't know, Theo. I don't make hats for just anyone who wants one; I'm not made of hats." He gestured while he spoke, sarcasm and theatrics apparent and overdone.

"What if I made a trade with you," Theo suggested, shrugging. "Lunch for a magic hat?" 

"Hm." Loki hummed. "That sounds like a fair trade."

Suddenly, with a flourish of his hand, there was a hat upon Theo's head where there had not been one moments before. Theo gasped at the sudden weight, ducking a little and then standing upright. He brought his hand up to the rim of the hat, first poking it gingerly, then patting the top. He took it off his head to inspect it as they walked, smoothing it and feeling the material between his fingertips.

"You know, it can't protect your head if it's not on it." Loki stated jovially, falling back into step with Theo, who had slowed down to better examine the hat. 

"Sometimes sacrifices must be made in the name of science," he muttered, holding the hat above his head to look at it in the sunlight.

"It could also be said that beauty is pain." Loki reached up and pulled that hat down over Theo's face. He squirmed for a moment, trying to fix the hat on his head properly without dropping his cane. As soon as the hat was fixed, he shot Loki a mischevious grin.

"I don't remember you being nearly this fun to be around earlier."

"Well, we were investigating a murder then," Theo replied. A cast iron bell chimed in the distance, seagulls gathering overhead. More and more, the street patrons were becoming fewer and far between, replaced by people who looked more equipped for piracy than an afternoon walk. He fell into step with Theo, the two of them listening to the gulls' cries and thinking their own respective thoughts as they neared the docks.


End file.
